Fluid shortening is useful in the preparation of baked goods and bread-making processes. The function of fluid shortenings is similar to plastic shortenings in baking processes, but fluid shortenings are much preferred for use in commercial baking process due to the ease in handling, pumping, and metering. Fluid shortenings characteristically are fluid at temperature of about 60.degree. to 100.degree.F and should not become unstable in storage over this temperature range or in use by separation into two distinct liquid phases or liquid-solid phases to produce a supernatent liquid phase and a precipitate phase. Fluid shortenings should possess a stabilized fluid consistency wherein the viscosity remains relatively consistent over a wide temperature range.
Fluid shortenings or fat composition are known in the art which suggest fluid shortenings based on hard mono- and diglycerides having an iodine value of less than 15 and usually about 0 to 5. Problems have occurred in conventional prior art fluid shortenings, however, wherein the fluid shortenings have a tendency to firm or solidify upon encountering temperatures below 50.degree.F and/or above 85.degree.F. Other suggested conventional liquid shortenings containing stable suspensions of about 5 to 7% finely divided saturated solid fatty acid hard glycerides lack sufficient solid fat for use in a continuous-mix bread-making process in addition to having stability of only about 30 days. Still other prior art fluid shortenings are based on solid hydrogenated hard fats to overcome oxidation instability but unfortunately are of high viscosity and become unmanageable with varying winter and summer temperatures.
These and other deficiencies in prior art fluid shortenings are overcome by the fluid shortening of this invention based on soft mono- and diglycerides having an iodine value greater than about 40.
It now has been found that a stabilized fluid shortening comprising minor amounts of soft mono- and diglycerides, ester emulsifiers, and soybean stearine dispersed in vegetable oil produces a fluid shortening having substantially increased physical stability.
Further advantages are realized wherein the fluid shortening of this invention is particularly suitable for efficient use in the continuous-mix bread-making process, conventionally processed white breads and variety breads, and conventionally processed buns, rolls, and brown-and-serve rolls as well as other conventionally processed yeast-raised products.
A further advantage is that the fluid shortening maintains extended fluidity suitable for pumping and metering wherein the fluid shortening may be pumped directly from a fat storage tank without intermediate blending of the conditioning agent as the same is dispersed in the liquid vegetable oil with the softening agent.
Still further advantages include excellent viscosity control achieved upon extended storage wherein viscosity change of the shortening is minimal upon constant cycling between 50.degree.F and 100.degree.F.
A further advantage is that the ester emulsifier, soft mono- and diglycerides, and soybean stearine remain stably dispersed within the liquid oil over a wide temperature range.
Still further advantages include bread produced which is significantly softer and with greater loaf volume than produced by both prior known fluid and plastic bread shortening systems.
These and other advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description of the invention.